Cyprus: Official Response from RIK Regarding Nea’s Article Tomorrow Monday!

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Tomorrow, Monday, through the morning show of RIK1, the head of the Cypriot delegation to the contest, Ms. Evi Papamichael, is expected to give official answers to everything mentioned in the article of Nea, which has monopolized Eurovision interest for the past 24 hours.

The official position of RIK through the delegation leader of the country in the competition will be known tomorrow, Monday. Ms. Evi Papamichael is expected to provide answers regarding the stance that RIK will take on all the allegations made through the article of the newspaper “Ta Nea Savvatokyriako“, which has already been transmitted both through television broadcasts and online.

According to what was said on the show “I Love Soukou”, we will learn tomorrow the reaction of RIK, as well as the actions it will take or may have already taken and have not been disclosed. On the other hand, ERT continues not to respond to yesterday’s allegations, despite the continuous pressures from all media outlets.

We remind you that, based on what the newspaper reports, on February 21, the Ambassador of Cyprus to Athens, Mr. Augustides, and the President of ERT, Mr. Zoulas, met at the Radio House of Agia Paraskevi. Among the things discussed, the Ambassador informs the Cypriot government through an official document that the President of ERT notified him that Greece will not give a high score to Cyprus in the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest. Nea reports:

It clearly predicted the result of the Greek jury, which had not even been formed in February, for a vote that would take place three months later.

The issue is not exactly insignificant. This is because, according to the regulations of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) governing the regulations, ERT does not vote, as Zoulas informed the Ambassador of Cyprus, but is required to establish an independent jury, which is explicitly prohibited from consisting of employees of state television, in order to evaluate the entries on artistic and only criteria, without being influenced by external factors.

With great interest, before we take a position on the issue, we will await the official explanations from ERT, as well as the stance that RIK and EBU will take in the face of this apparent violation of the regulations.

Eurovisionfun will monitor the issue and keep you informed, as always, of any developments, in this very serious issue that has arisen and will obviously monopolize interest in Greece and Cyprus in the coming days.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Greece: ERT’s shock confession for predetermined jury vote

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A bombshell news that will disturb the already disturbed relations between RIK and ERT, was published a short while ago by the newspaper Ta Nea.

The Ambassador of Cyprus lights fires

The news, which is also on the cover of the newspaper, concerns an official document – an information letter from Stavros Avgoustidis, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Athens, to official bodies of Cyprus, in which he informs the authorities in Nicosia, about what was communicated to him in a recent working meeting at the ERT’s Headquarters, by the President of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), Konstantinos Zoulas, concerning the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest and the jury votes that the Greek jury committee will give to Cyprus.

According to what is revealed in the newspaper, the President of ERT announced on February 22nd to the Cypriot Ambassador in Athens that Greece will give a low score to the Cypriot participation in Eurovision 2024. In more detail, the article states the following:

Official confession for… Eurovision!

Just when you think you have seen it all, the official document signed by the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Greece, Stavros Avgoustidis, for his meeting with the President of ERT, Konstantinos Zoulas, comes to leave you… in shock.

This is, in particular, the ambassador’s official briefing to the Presidential Palace of Cyprus, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, the government spokesman and other official bodies, for his visit on February 21 to ERT’s premises. During their meeting, according to the ambassador, Zoulas referred to the burning issue of… Eurovision, stressing that “as far as Cyprus’ participation in this year’s Eurovision contest is concerned, ERT will not give high marks to the Cypriot entry”.

In other words, he clearly announced the result of the Greek jury, which in February had not even been set up, for a vote that would take place three months later.

The issue is not exactly trivial. This is because, according to the regulations of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) governing the regulation, ERT does not vote, as Zoulas told the Cypriot ambassador, but must set up an independent jury, which is expressly forbidden to be composed of employees of state television, in order to evaluate the entries on artistic criteria alone, without being influenced by external factors.

So one wonders how exactly Zoulas knew the result of such an evaluation by then. Unless he has a talent for futurology, say, or a magic crystal ball…

Awaiting developments in Athens, Nicosia and EBU

Obviously, what the Cypriot ambassador in Athens reports to the government services in Nicosia is very serious and raises relentless questions regarding the credibility of the Greek jury, whose members have already been notified to the EBU, since the deadline was Friday 12 April.

Of course all of the above comes a few months after the uproar and reactions caused by the 4 points given by last year’s Greek jury that deprived Andrew Lambrou and Cyprus of the top 10.

Eurovisionfun will be following the issue and will keep you informed as always for any news on this very serious issue that has arisen and which will obviously monopolize the interest in Greece and Cyprus in the coming days.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all developments!

Cyprus: RIK’s special series “United by Music” for Eurovision 2024!

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RIK is preparing a special Eurovision show, which will be hosted by Andreas Anastasiou, the head of press for the Cypriot delegation to the competition. The show, named United By Music, will air on Sundays at 23:00 (Cypriot time), with the final episode airing on Tuesday from 21:00 to 22:00, right before the first semi-final, in which Cyprus also competes, begins.

Starting from this Sunday at 23.00 on RIK1, we will have the chance to watch a program devoted to the Eurovision contest and this year’s participation featuring “Liar” and Silia Kapsis.

Along with those who have associated their name with the competition, Andreas Anastasiou will talk about and offer commentary on all things related to Eurovision 2024. Head of Delegation Evi Papamichail, Loukas Hamatsos, who usually serves as Cyprus’ spokesperson, Melina Karageorgiou, who has been a contest commentator for a number of years, Hovig, who represented Cyprus in 2017 but will also be a commentator this year, Evdokia Kadi, who represented Cyprus in 2008, and many other beloved artists and fans of Eurovision will be present at “United by Music”.

This year, Cyprus will be represented by Silia Kapsis and “Liar”. Silia Kapsis will open the first semi-final on May 7.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news! 

Cyprus: Silia Kapsis rehearses with the LEDS | Meeting with Marinella!

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Yesterday, the representative of Cyprus, Silia Kapsis alongside her dancers, aand the artistic team of Marvin Dietman and Dan Shipton, were at NOX Athens, where at this time Antonis Remos and Marinella are rehearsing for their joint appearances at the nightclub. Read more

Message of support from Andrew Lambrou for Eden Golan at OGAE Israel event!

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OGAE Israel organized an event in downtown Tel Aviv for Eden Golan to wish her good luck shortly before she leaves for Malmö. At this event, various messages of support for Eden and Hurricane were shown mainly from former representatives of Israel in the contest. But among the messages of support was a video from Andrew Lambrou.

Andrew Lambrou was in Israel on October 7 when the Hamas terrorist attack took place in the south of the country. Then they even met with Eden, with whom, as he reveals in the video, they have written a song together.

 

This is the second time that Andrew Lambrou has expressed his support for Eden Golan and the Hurricane. When the song was released, he uploaded a related Instagram story, where he mentioned that Hurricane is stuck in his mind.

Hurricane was the most viewed video clip on the competition channel in the month of March, behind only Holland’s Europapa and above Marina Satti’s ZARI.

Israel is competing in position no.14 in the second semi-final of Eurovision 2024, on May 9.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Cyprus: Watch Silia Kapsis and her wonderful team dancing “Liar” !

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A little earlier Silia Kapsis uploaded on her TikTok profile a video together with her four dancers dancing the chorus of Liar. Read more

Bets: The first odds for advancing to the final!

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Just over three weeks separate us from the start of rehearsals in Malmö ahead of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest. As we head into the final stretch just before Eurovision 2024 takes place in the Swedish city, one of Eurovisionfun ‘s most loved and talked about columns is back, with our Eurovision 2024 betting analysis back again.

With bookmakers having started to offer more betting sections for the upcoming contest in recent hours, we take a look at the qualification odds for this year’s Eurovision grand final from the two semi-finals on May 7 and 9.

First semi-final

The first semi-final on May 7 is expected to be particularly competitive, according to the bookers. With just three companies offering the possibility of qualifying for Saturday’s grand final so far, the sample may be small, but it is still largely representative of what we will see on Tuesday’s show.

Four countries are considered by the betting companies to be guaranteed to qualify for the grand final of this year’s competition. Croatia, Ukraine, Finland and Lithuania are offered at odds of under 1.05, a big gap compared to the other eleven participating countries in this semi-final.

Particularly increased chances of qualifying for the grand final are given by bookers to Luxembourg, Cyprus, Serbia and Poland. The group of these countries is being played at odds between 1.25 and 1.33, which translates betting-wise into a qualification probability of over 70% for three of them(Cyprus, Serbia, Poland) and over 80% for Luxembourg in its return to Eurovision after more than three decades.

A battle is expected to be waged for the last two tickets to the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, where four countries are expected to fight for their place in the contest. Slovenia, Portugal, Australia and Ireland are being played at odds of between 1.44 and 1.75, with the former two currently looking like the frontrunners to get past the first semi-final hurdle, with all of them having more than a 53% chance of qualifying.

Finally, regarding the remaining three countries in the first semi-final, Azerbaijan, Moldova and Iceland, betting companies see them as the big underdogs for qualification. With regard to Azerbaijan, their chances of qualification are far from negligible, as they are offered odds of more than doubling, approaching 2.25. In contrast, Moldova and Iceland seem to have little chance of making it to the final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, with Moldova being offered odds of between 3 and 3.75, while Iceland is offered odds of between 3 and 5.2.

Second semi-final

Things seem to be clearer in the second semi-final regarding the chances of the sixteen participating countries qualifying for the grand final on 11 May. The countries taking part in the second semi-final appear to be divided by the bookers into five sub-groups.

The first sub-group is made up of the Netherlands, Switzerland and Belgium. The three Central and Western European countries, which occupy three of the top six places in the odds of winning this year’s competition, are considered by bookmakers to be certain to qualify, which is why their odds of qualification are no more than 1.02.

All five countries in the second sub-group seem largely certain to qualify. Greece, Norway, Israel, Armenia and Austria are offered odds of between 1.04 and 1.2, which translates into qualification odds of 85% for Greece, 83% for Norway, 82% for Israel and Armenia and 81% for Estonia.

A “category” on its own is Estonia, whose qualification to the grand final is considered the most likely scenario, with bookers giving them around 70% odds and playing at odds between 1.28 and 1.33.

Georgia and Denmark are set to battle it out for the final ticket, with Georgia and Denmark both distancing themselves from the leading nine countries and the remaining five in the running. At odds of around 1.75, Georgia ‘s qualification is being played at odds of between 1.67 and 2.22, with bookies giving 52% odds to the Caucasians and 49% to the Scandinavians.

Finally, the last sub-group is the remaining five countries that will take part in the second semi-final on May 9. Latvia, Albania, San Marino, Malta and the Czech Republic are considered by bookers as the underdogs to qualify for the Eurovision 2024 final, as all of them have odds between 27% and 35% and are offered at odds that return around three times the initial stake.

In any case, with the pre-parties continuing in the coming weeks and with the start of rehearsals for the 68th Eurovision Song Contest less than a month away, the only thing that is certain is that the shake-up will continue and will culminate as the days for the big celebration in Malmö approach. Competition is fierce and all possibilities are open.

Which countries do you think will qualify for the grand final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest? Tell us in the comments!

Cyprus: Melina Karageorgiou and Hovig to Host RIK’s Eurovision 2024 Commentary!

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Andreas Anastasiou, the head of press for the Cypriot delegation, announced the commentators for the broadcast of Eurovision 2024 for the Cypriot public broadcaster RIK. The experienced Melina Karageorgiou and beloved Hovig will be the voices behind this year’s competition for RIK.

Melina Karageorgiou is a journalist at RIK and has been involved with the broadcaster on numerous occasions. She studied communication and media at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and holds a postgraduate degree in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior. Fluent in English, French, and Italian, she describes herself as half Greek-Cypriot and half Greek, as she holds citizenship in both Limassol and Athens!

She served as the commentator for Eurovision for RIK from 2008 to 2016 and for the past two years, always receiving positive feedback. She admits to being a huge fan of the competition herself.

Hovig, who stole our hearts with his participation in the 2017 contest, lives and works in Cyprus as a singer. In addition to representing Cyprus in 2017, Hovig has announced the 12 points for his country twice.

Stay tuned to Eurovisionfun for all the updates!

Cyprus: Silia Kapsis’ dancers for Malmö unveiled!

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With a month until the 68th Eurovision Song Contest, preparations for the Cypriot delegation to Malmö are well underway.

So, today, the four dancers who will be joining Silia Kapsis on stage arrived in Greece, and RIK introduces them to us.

Silia’s dancers live and work in Denmark and are as follows:

  • Theo B. Koefoed
  • Thomas Hegnet
  • Sebastian Laurentius Nielsen
  • Martin Daugaard

Guy Groove and Kelly Sweeney are the creators of the choreography that will see on the Eurovision stage in May, while the Cypriot choreographer Haris Savva is in charge of the rehearsals in Greece. Following her appearance at the Eurovision party hosted by Eurovisionfun in Thessaloniki on Friday, 29/3, Silia Kapsis will give one more performance of “Liar” before heading to Malmö. Along with 29 other artists from Eurovision 2024, Silia Kapsis will take part in the largest Eurovision pre-party of the season on April 13 at Eurovision In Concert in Amsterdam.

Silia Kapsis will represent Cyprus in Malmö with “Liar“, while she will open the first semi-final on May 7th.

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun for all the news! 

EXCLUSIVE: Marina Satti and Silia Kapsis will not attend the Eurovision 2024 Red Carpet!

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Eurovisionfun is bringing to your attention once more a last-minute but extremely significant development. Given that Easter Sunday is a holy and significant day for Orthodox Christians, ERT, RIK, and perhaps other public broadcasters from Orthodox countries complained about the schedule of the rehearsals and the Red Carpet event.

Earlier this morning, the 37 public broadcasters received the preview programming from the EBU. According to our exclusive information, ERT and RIK expressed dissatisfaction, stating they had hoped the EBU would be more accommodating with all of the original programming and would not have scheduled this year’s event so that the rehearsals would coincide with the Orthodox Easter week. Most importantly, they requested to not participate in the Red Carpet event on Sunday, May 5, which is also Easter Sunday for all Orthodox Christians. As a result, two more delegations will be missing from the event, following Israel, which will also not be there because that day is dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust

On this significant day for all Greeks, the Greek and Cypriot delegations will attend the resurrection ceremony at St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Malmö. Marina Satti and Silia Kapsis will be with the city’s Greek community on Easter Sunday, commemorating the holy day in a customary Greek manner. ERT and RIK decided to pay tribute in this way to what is arguably the most sacred period of the year for Orthodox Christians because they believed that having the two performers on the Red Carpet on such a day would be a disrespect to the church.

There have been previous instances of something similar occurring. Polina, whose song “Waggon” was chosen to represent Greece in the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest, withdrew from the competition due to the objections of the greek church, as the competition had been scheduled to take place during Orthodox Easter.

While the Orthodox countries of Serbia and Ukraine are heading in the same direction as Greece and Cyprus, Moldova will be participating in the Red Carpet despite the anticipated backlash from the local church.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the Eurovision 2024 updates!